


The Happiest Place on Earth

by crystanagahori



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Doctor and Donna in Disneyworld, DoctorDonna, F/M, Fluffy, Friendship to Love, Timeline crossing ensues kind of, Timey Wimey, sort of established relationship, wibbly wobbly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-04
Updated: 2015-01-04
Packaged: 2018-03-05 08:20:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3112718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystanagahori/pseuds/crystanagahori
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor and Donna visit Disneyworld as the best of mates, but then run into the Doctor and Donna as the DoctorDonna. Fluff ensues, as does a lot of confusion!</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Happiest Place on Earth

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [saw this on Tumblr and this happened.](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/93338) by 1stmidnight?. 



> I challenged myself to write a short, fluffy fic without a real plan, and this is what came out! Written while on Japan's subways. Inspired by an AU post on Tumblr (basically the most adorable post ever). 
> 
> All standard disclaimers apply!

Donna giggled uncharacteristically as she raced down the corridors of the TARDIS. She'd found a vintage Mickey Mouse t-shirt laid out on the bed for her, plus her favorite denim trousers and trainers, which made her pat a hand affectionately against the wall in thanks to the ship. Donna was in such a fantastic mood that she forgot to have breakfast, skipping straight to the console room. She could practically hear the music already, humming her favorite Disney tunes in time with the TARDIS' whirring and occasional whalesong.  

"Nice to see you in a good mood," the Doctor commented dryly, appearing at the end of the hallway to the console room with a cup of tea to his lips. He was a thunderstorm in contrast to Donna's ray of sunshine. While he was already dressed in his brown suit, he was slightly scowling, his eyebrows creased to a slight frown.

"I'm always in a good mood, Timeboy," Donna pointed out. "Not my fault you always find some way to ruin it, what with the baddies and all." 

Donna didn't miss the hurt across his face, which made her inwardly wince. Her and her big gob. He had just about recovered from his terrifying experience at Midnight, and a week before, she cried about wanting to go home on the Ood planet. Now wasn't exactly the time to complain about aliens. 

She recovered quickly though, playfully punching his arm. "Just kidding," she said, relieved when his face relaxed slightly. "So why are you in a bad mood?"  

"All of time and space and you want to see Disneyworld? Do we really have to?" He whined like a five year old.  

"A bet's a bet, Spaceman," Donna said, skipping past him to the controls, as if she knew exactly how to use it. Her good humor was restored. "I got Confucius to tell me not to eat yellow snow, so I get a trip to Disneyworld. Not just any Disneyworld either, Disneyworld in the 21st century, if you please."

"Not my fault Confucius wasn't too fond of my impression of him--" the Doctor scowled, muttering into his teacup. "Hang on, when did we decide that? I thought we agreed on Tokyo Disneyland on the eve of the fourth millennium? They had a holographic dragon burst through a mirror for their fireworks show!"  

Donna rolled her eyes. Trust the Doctor to miss the fine details of their little agreement. Who knew he could be such a sore loser?  

"Would you rather I just conveniently forget to get banana pudding from the Magnolia Bakery the next time we go?"

* * *

 

They landed and subsequently parked right beside the Town Hall in Main Street. Donna bounded out of the TARDIS, smiling with glee over their view of the park. It must have been early in the morning on off-season, the park was practically empty. The Doctor locked the TARDIS, watching Donna with a fond smile on his face. While he wasn't looking forward to the onslaught of queueing, he lov--lik-- was extremely fond the smile on Donna's face as she took in the whole scene. He hadn't seen it in so long, it warmed in his hearts (in an extremely platonic way, obviously). She deserved this little stopover, bets with Confucius aside. He needed it too. 

"Come on, Spaceman!" She exclaimed, her bright ginger hair fanning around her face as she grabbed his hand and pulled. He smiled and let her pull him down the street. "It smells amazing! Like...like candy floss and caramel."

"They use Smellitzers to set the atmosphere to make people more at ease," the Doctor explained, tucking his right hand into his pocket as they slowed to a more leisurely pace. He took a deep breath, and rubbed his nose slightly. "Yep. That's vanilla and caramel with just a hint of...ooh, turkey legs! I love turkey legs. In the fiftieth century, they placed a climate control shield over the whole park, and tourists would stay weeks on end to escape bad weather."

"I can't believe we're really here," Donna said, obviously ignoring the Doctor as she paused in the middle of the street. "Look at all the little shops! I say we have a bit of a spree later," she said, nudging her head towards the line of shops along Main Street USA. "All on you, of course."

"I do love a little shop," The Doctor acquiesced, nodding in agreement. Then a thought struck him. "Have you never been to Disneyworld?"  

"Not on a temp's salary, no," she said in a sardonic tone, sliding her arm easily into his as their steps fell in tandem with each other. Not that the Doctor noticed. "Glad I'm here with you, though." 

"Happiest place on Earth awaits, Donna Noble," the Doctor grinned, gesturing with his hand as they reached Cinderella's castle. Donna gasped in surprise. She'd seen it loads of times on the telly and on other people's vacation photos, but it was quite different, seeing the real thing. Different also from visiting alien planets, Cinderella's Castle felt familiar to her somehow, awakening her girlish childhood dreams of seeing it like this.  

"Wish I had a camera," she sighed happily, eyeing the tourists taking photos with envy. "This is beautiful."

"It's the forced perspective," the Doctor pointed out, deftly pulling a disposable camera out of his front pocket and handing it to her without ceremony. "Makes the castle look bigger on the outside, which is a shame really, and quite counterproductive to what we're used to, eh? But anyway, it's an old architectural technique that--where are you going?"

"Coming, Spaceman?" Donna asked,  already making her way to the castle, asking a stranger to take a photo of her and the Doctor arguing about running off by herself in Disneyworld.

* * *

 The rest of the morning went by about as smoothly as Donna expected. They met Mickey Mouse ("He looks more like a Mortimer.") and Goofy ("Made after I accidentally had Walt on the TARDIS when I went to the planet of bipedal canines. Fascinating race, greeted each other by touching noses.") at the pavilions. They rode Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, betting on who would get the higher score ("I'm a man of non-violence, Donna, obviously I wouldn't score as high as you...") and the Peter Pan's flight ("Not exactly as Barrie had in mind, but they did their best. He couldn't exactly call Peter Pan a Time Lord!"). The Doctor insisted that they catch the Main Street Electrical Parade that evening, which Donna acquiesced. They bought the Doctor a pair of Mickey Mouse ears, as part of losing the bet meant he had to wear them all day.  

"I don't believe half the things that come out of your gob, you know," Donna pointed out, leaning against the railing as they lined up for Space Mountain. They promised each other that they would ride the park's 3 mountain roller coasters--Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain at least twice. Donna was quite determined, no need for the Doctor to mention his very slight fear of roller coasters (and clowns). 

"Neither do I, really," the Doctor confessed, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Oomph!" The line pushed up behind him and he stumbled slightly, his body momentarily against Donna's. They both jumped back a little too quickly. The Doctor had moved back so fast that he's stubbed his toe, hopping a bit before settling again.  

"Oi, watch it!" Donna exclaimed to the American teenagers who had pushed the Doctor forward.

"Sorry, lady," a particularly pimply teen with a Megadeath t-shirt grumbled. 

"Come on, Doctor," Donna said, pulling his hand to guide them to the roller coaster as the crewmember indicated the car they could sit in.  

It was that very small, seemingly insignificant moment that the Doctor looked at Donna and realized that he was completely mad in love with her. He didn't know why he suddenly relaize it, but he just knew. His hearts were hers, out of his own chest. There was something that felt just right about the way she gripped his hand.  

Donna screamed as they plunged into the darkness. The Doctor did the same for completely different reasons. While the ride was nothing like entering the fifth dimension, he suddenly found himself unable to speak, screaming in the dark.

"That was brilliant!" Donna exclaimed, laughing as they walked through the little shop at the end of the ride. The Doctor's legs still felt a little wobbly, but she didn't need to know that. "That moment where you just spin around in circles going down--I can't believe I didn't love roller coasters before! Hang on, I'm going to the loo. Are you hungry, Doctor? We can eat after a go at the Mad Teacups, I'd rather not upchuck our lunch if you don't mind."

Then she looked at him expectantly. The Doctor was too busy trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was in love with her to realize that she waited for a response 

"Teacups, yeah," he nodded. If she found that strange, Donna didn't say, walking purposefully towards the nearby loo. 

The fear gripped him as soon as he came to terms with his feelings. What did being in love with Donna Noble mean? He never expected to feel this way again, not after...well. Espescially not after he had already lost everything. Just the thought of Donna withering and fading made his hands turn cold in fear. Humans were so fragile, he didn't know if he could take losing her. Did she even love him back? Could she? Was he even worth that?  

The Doctor had barely made a turn in the little shop when her gorgeous ginger head appeared beside him. "Some woman in the loo tried to cut in front of me, I had to give her a good what for," she said, her ponytail bouncing as she put her hands on her hips. "Then she was so impressed by my Chinese we ended up having a nice chat after. I didn't even know I was speaking Chinese!" His worries and fears clamped his hearts at the sight of her, hidden to everyone but him. He always seemed to suffer alone. 

"That's a nice shirt," the Doctor commented, looking at the Little Mermaid shirt Donna had on. He had planned to get her something similar when they went to Fantasyland--he didn't know she had one already. 

Donna looked down, pulling at the hem thoughtfully as he tried not to look at her breasts. "Oh this old thing? I think the TARDIS picked it out. Do you still want a go on Dumbo, dumbo?" She asked, looking at the Mickey Mouse pencil toppers.  

"What about the Mad Teacups?" The Doctor asked in confusion as they walked towards Fantasyland. Donna was holding his hand, leisurely. They weren't running for their lives, nor was she dragging him somewhere. It was almost couple-y, and he was very aware of that fact. 

"Not after what happened the last time," Donna said firmly. 

_Last time?_ The Doctor wondered, _when did they--uh oh._

"You're lucky I love you, though," Donna said, pulling his arm a bit so she could nuzzle against his neck slightly. "Even if you insist on riding the bloody teacups." 

Then she kissed him, and the Doctor felt just about as wibbly wobbly as time was being. 

* * *

 Donna hadn't really expected the Doctor to patiently wait for her as she went to the loo--sometimes she wondered if 900 was the Time Lord equivalent of five years old. So she was surprised to find him waiting for her by the door, munching on popcorn with one hand and sipping a soda out of a Little Green Man tumbler on the other. She smiled fondly and tossed some popcorn into her mouth without preamble. He looked up at her.

"Feeling better?" He asked, smiling up at her. He ran a hand up and down her arm affectionatley, and Donna found herself involuntarily relaxing at the touch. Running around Disneyworld was fun, but she knew she was going to end up knackered at the end of the day. The Doctor stood up, intimately brushing strand of hair away from her face, making Donna stiffen and look at him in surprise.

Kissing her wasn't really helping with that tension either, but there they were, lip-locked in the middle of bloody Tomorrowland.

"What. The hell. Was that," Donna said as she pulled back, raising an eyebrow at the Doctor.

"What?" He asked innocently. He slowly realized Donna wasn't kidding though, and he looked at her up and down, like there was something strange about her appearance. His eyes widened suddenly in realization and he suddenly snapped up, like he'd just been hit by a live electrical wire, sending a few kernels flying.

"What's the matter with you?" Donna asked curiously, walking alongside him on their way to Fantasyland.  

"What? Me? Nothing, really! Just an alien walking around Disneyworld with his best mate, Donna Noble. Oh look, the Mad Teacups! You wanted to go on those...didn't you?" He asked like he didn't have any idea what on earth he was saying. Donna raised a suspicious eyebrow at him. 

"You're up to something, Spaceman," she said in a warning voice, but falling into the queue for the teacups anyway. "We're supposed to be on holiday, remember?" 

"Are we?" The Doctor asked, looking around the park desperately for any sign of his counterpart before he could do anything more timey wimey. "Oh well. Mind if I pop into the loo? I need to use the facilities, if you know what I mean."

She always knew what she meant, even if the words came out in bullet train speed. Donna had her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at him, and the Doctor just knew he was in trouble. "Do you expect me to queue up by myself?"

"Well...yes?"

"Fine," Donna huffed a little, marching towards the teacups by herself. He hated to leave her, what with her future self running amok probably looking for him, it was better if she stayed in one place. "But you better be waiting for me at the exit!"

No such luck finding his present Donna (or is it future?) and his past (or present?) self. By the time he had circled back to the teacups, she was waiting for him on a bench by herself, her ams crossed. 

"Sorry, sorry," he said quickly. "I had a lot of soda. Time Lords aren't built to withstand too much bicarbonate, causes us to hear five seconds into the future, and that can never be good."

"Right. We're going to the Little Mermaid ride, then you better explain what the hell is going on before I march you back into the TARDIS and off to Queen Bess for a beheading!"

"Why do I even let you talk to Martha?" The Doctor grumbled, following after Donna with a light jog as they walked through the park. 

* * *

Meanwhile, the one we know as the present Doctor was having quite a fascinating time with his more than mates Donna. She didn't flinch or yell 'oi, hands!' when he came in close contact. She actually melted into him and let him stroke their hair as they laughed along in Philharmagic. 

He could get used to this. 

They had just finished having lunch at Pinocchio's restaurant, making their way to It's A Small World as the wait trickled down to fifteen minutes. 

"We're making good time," the Doctor commented, holding on to Donna's clammy hand as they reached the precipice of the ride. "Considering it's..." He held his tongue out at the air, "a Saturday in spring in the 21st century. A sweet spot in time, really."  _Which would probably explain all the weirdness happening_ , the Doctor thought. TARDIS was attracted to itself in that sweet spot, and when his future self programmed it to go to Disneyworld, it couldn't help but land at the same time, different place. 

They were about halfway to their turn in line when Donna studied the Doctor in front of her like she was looking at a particularly perplexing painting.

"You're not the Doctor, are you?" She asked, her voice dropping like she just knew the answer. The Doctor held back the denial in his throat. "You can just tell me now, save me the trouble. Are you a Zygon? Clom, maybe? Or are you from planet Zog?"

"What are you talking about, Clom aren't shapeshifters," the Doctor scoffed. "In fact they are a lot more like the Ood, except with webbed feet. They have their version of this ride called 'it's a small galaxy', loved it as a time tot." 

"A Time Tot?" Donna laughed, shaking her head. "Alright, I guess you are the Doctor. But something's not quite...I mean, you're...hang on," she said, blinking at him as the only logical explanation came to her. She frowned. "Are you telling me the first time I went to Disneyworld I wasn't even with you, you at all, but with my Doctor?"

There was something pleasant about the way she said 'my Doctor', and he couldn't help but grin. She slapped his arm, and he recoiled ("Ow!") in pain as she glowered at him. 

"Oh you are brilliant," The Doctor gushed, clutching his arm. "As brilliant as the day I met you." 

"Yeah yeah, tell it to someone who still believes you," she answered as she rolled her eyes, but he didn't miss the bit of blush on her cheeks. Donna sighed and laughed out of what seemed like exasperation. "You do know what we have to do now, right, Doctor?"

"Do I?" The Doctor asked as they got on the Small World ride. 

"I remember what happened before, what you did. It's a fixed point in time, that's you said. We have to make sure it happens again, unless you don't want it to..." 

He couldn't see her in the brief darkness of the ride, but his hand found hers easily. If there was a future in which they could come back to Disneyworld, then it shouldn't be so bad. Maybe he could be happy again. She certainly seemed to be. "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant," he whispered to her. "I love Donna Noble one hundred percent." 

His voice was slightly drowned out by the chorus of 'It's A Small World After All,' but Donna hadn't missed a beat. She giggled slightly. 

"I know I'm kind of breaking the rules here," she said, glancing at the animatronic dolls. "But that's exactly what you told me before," she told him softly, kissing his cheek and leaning against him again. "Nice to hear it said again. When we get off here, your Donna and my Doctor will just be at the Little Mermaid ride, I think. Should be able to make the switch then." 

"Why did you come back?" The Doctor asked curiously. "To Disneyworld, I mean. There wouldn't be a reason for you to come back to the exact same time."

"You of all aliens should know that you'll find out eventually," Donna told him with a sly wink. "Let's just say I know _exactly_ why you would much rather be called Doctor than your real name."

* * *

While the Doctor and Donna sang along through several choruses of 'it's a small world', the Doctor and Donna they were looking for had just met Stitch, who, according to Donna, was just 'the cutest alien she had ever seen.'

_Let's see if you still think that in a week or two,_ the Doctor told himself, keeping his arms crossed over his chest. It had been hard, he had completely forgotten how to act like 'just mates' around a woman he'd been...well...mating with for quite some time now. Donna knew something was going on, but had been too distracted by Splash Mountain (she'd yanked his hair and screamed his name so hard he was sure he would regenerate) to press the matter. 

Now they made their way to the Under the Sea ride, where Donna suddenly paused and looked up at the statue of Ariel waving at the crowd. "She was my favorite Disney princess as a kid," Donna pointed out as they looked up at the ride entrance. "Ginger hair and all that. Plus she always wanted to go out and have adventures of her own, and her prince actually had a name!" Donna chuckled. "I wanted to join our school production in middle school, but Mum thought I was just going to embarrass myself so she talked me down. Said the other girls were better."

That made the Doctor pause so abruptly the ears in his head rattled a bit, "Donna," the Doctor said seriously, turning to her. "You are definitely not just a starfish. You are also much more brilliant than a mermaid who turns to seafoam at the end of a fairytale. Have you met mermaids from Syrena on Kasterborous? The Gallifreyans hated them with a passion. Nasty bunch of birds, completely vain and wouldn't stop talking about themselves and how beautiful they are. Mind, they do have certain qualities that lower species might consider attractive--"

"Your point, Doctor?" Donna asked, taking him a lot less seriously now with the silly mouse ears. He grinned and pulled something out of his left pocket.

"Point is, you deserve more that what you've been given," he said, handing her a sparkling gold tiara he'd picked up at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. He'd forgotten than he had bought it their first time there while Donna was in the loo, and when this mix-up happened, he'd completely forgotten. Now he was going to give it to her. Funny how that worked. "The royal treatment."

He resisted the urge to kiss her there and then. 'Not yet,' he reminded himself. As he placed the tiara on Donna's head, he saw the incredulity in her eyes. If only she could see herself like he saw her. 

"Doctor," she said, looking up at him.

"Yes Donna?"

"I look like a bloody five year old," she said, glaring at him as they walked into the ride. She swatted at his Mickey Mouse ears (they would have looked awful with his ninth incarnation, thank god he'd never worn them until now) and he pretended not to notice. 

"I don't see you taking it off though," the Doctor pointed out, spotting something moving in the shadows behind Donna. A flash of red and brown. "Oh look, is that the Dream Come True Parade?" He suddenly exclaimed, making Donna and thirty other heads turn around in curiosity.

"Whoops, false alarm," the Doctor said, putting his hands in his pockets.  She realized he was slightly out of breath, wearing Mickey Mouse ears that looked brand new, which only seemed to confirm her suspicions. 

* * *

Later, as the skies were illuminated with fireworks from the evening display, Donna's favorite Disney song played. The music swelled and she turned to the Doctor, who had been looking at her the whole time. They exchanged secretive smiles, and the Doctor told her what Donna would be told again in the future. The point in time was fixed and set, and the Doctor felt the timelines adjust accordingly, golden threads of possibilities became taut and held, as strong as his hand in hers. "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant," he said softly. "I love Donna Noble one hundred percent."

She didn't blink, bristle or flinch, almost like she knew he was going to say that.  

"That's from Doctor Seuss," she pointed out. "Wrong Doctor." _In more ways than one_ , she thought to herself, smiling. 

"Doesn't make it any less true, though." 

She smiled and kissed him. "Yeah."

* * *

Elsewhere, watching the fireworks from the top of the TARDIS perched on top of the Town Hall, Donna leaned against her new husband's shoulder, watching the skies light up and dance. The Doctor held his new wife's hand and talked about the fireworks of Shan Shen. 

"So," Donna said, stretching out the 'o' as the Doctor snuggled closer to her. He was always a hugger, but the snuggling came right after he first confessed to being in love with her. Something about him being a touch telepath, he'd said, but she wondered if that was just an excused he used to touch her. Wouldn't that be silly? Sometimes she wondered if being Gallifreyan meant being part feline. Well, part-feline, part-Tigger. "Should I be offended that you spent the first day of our honeymoon with someone else?"

"It wasn't someone else, it was you! Albiet an older--"

"Watch it."

"An earlier," he quickly amended. "Version of you. May I also point out that you rode the mountain rides without me...again? 

"Not my fault you landed us here," Donna shrugged, but she was smiling. "So this is what's going to be like forever? Just me, you and all the weird things that happen to you?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way," he smiled, kissing Donna on the lips as the last of the fireworks spread across the sky.

 

 


End file.
